DEVELOPMENT REVIEW FOR PARKING AND CIRCULATION

The City of Berkeley has guidelines for the design of off-street parking. These guidelines are presented in the following pdf documents: Basic Parking Requirements and Driveways, Residential Driveways, Residential Garage Dimensions. These guidelines represent minimum design standards. The one exception is when compact spaces are allowed they can be 16 ft. in length rather than 18 ft. No allowable percentage for compact spaces has been established, but because of the small minimums for regular spaces compared to many other cities they are only allowed where they can be justified. An additional exception exists for handicapped spaces, which must be nine feet wide and also have an appropriate aisle next to them.

Most development projects are reviewed by the Traffic Engineering Section at Public WorksTransportation to make sure that minimum design standards are met, including the feasibility of standard vehicles to safely and efficiently enter and leave designated parking spaces. All required spaces must be designated on plans, even if they are not in a garage or carport.

During the review of a project, the City may require a traffic impact study and/or a parking survey of nearby on-street parking. The City has developed guidelines for these studies, and all applicants should contact Traffic Engineering staff in order to establish an appropriate scope of work when either of these studies is required by the Planning Department.

A Traffic Engineering fee (click here to see fee schedule) is paid by applicants at the time that a building permit is approved.

Transportation Engineering Division review will be per the Master Fee Schedule which currently is summarized as follows:

Pre-application or “walk-in” consultations are $160/hour (charged at 15-minute increments)

Administrative Use Permits fees (when Traffic Engineering review is required) include up to three (3) hours of review after which our continued review would be at $160/hour (charged at 15-minute increments).

Use Permits fees (when Traffic Engineering review is required) include up to eight (8) hours of review after which our continued review would be at $160/hour (charged at 15-minute increments).

Plan Check review fees (when Traffic Engineering review is required) include up to eight (8) hours of review after which our continued review would be at $160/hour (charged at 15-minute increments). A Traffic Engineer is on call every weekday (except holidays and 2nd Fridays) from 9:00am-12:00pm or by appointment. Consultations are encouraged early in the project development process so that any significant changes in building design can be addressed as soon as possible. It is necessary for a consultation fee to be charged if the request occurs before a Use Permit is submitted to the Planning Department. The charge is $160.00/hour and is billed in 15-minute increments, with payment by credit card or check required at the conclusion of each consultation.